Incapacitation
by Fragile-Strength
Summary: Laughter was a forgotten element of life in this room. paire, am/y, pp/eb, am/eb
1. Chapter 1

_AN--- Incapacitation; To deprive somebody or something of power, force, or effectiveness._

_Right, so this is going to be a series of one-shots during the four months Peter was in The Facility. There's going to be hints of Elle/Peter, Peter/Claire and Adam/Yaeko throughout the whole thing... _

At the moment, I have eight little one-shots typed up, but rest assured, there will be more.

If I owned Heroes, the show would be a big supporter of incest.

Review, and the Cannon Gods will smile down upon Paire and Yadam.

* * *

Laughter was a forgotten element of life in this room, locked away from the world (save Adam, Elle and occasionally Bob, none of which really counted). And so the noise was foreign and loud and harsh when it came echoing over from Adam's room.

For an instant, Peter couldn't place it. Adam's laugh was throaty and hoarse and under-used (which, Peter reasoned, wasn't to be totally unexpected considering the man probably hadn't laughed in a little over thirty years).

"Adam?" he called softly.

Choking on his laughter, there was a moment before Adam answered.

"Look out your window."

And Peter turned just in time to see Elle picking herself up off the floor, patting her hair and straightening her skirt.

Peter smiled.

_---Cayenne_


	2. Chapter 2

_AN--- Incapacitation; To deprive somebody or something of power, force, or effectiveness._

Hey, all! I was thrilled _by the amount of feedback I got for this; I think I've replied to all of you, but if I haven't feel free to zap me. Or something._

Anyway, here's just a little drabbley one - shorter than most of them.

* * *

The room was sterile. Sterile and clean and lonely and safe. And that was most important of all - it was safe. Nothing was going to come through and get him, (as though he had to worry about that), and, more importantly, there was no way he was going to get out and hurt anyone else. 

_---Cayenne_


	3. Chapter 3

_AN --- Well, I feel like I've fallen into a bit of a pattern. Short, long, short, long..._

Here you go. Don't own it. Review. Please?

* * *

Peter frowned up at a spider carefully crawling across the ceiling. Vaguely, he wondered if it felt as hopelessly tapped as he did. And, even more vaguely, he wanted to know if he missed those he was being kept from as much as Peter did.

_---Cayenne_


	4. Chapter 4

_AN ---Wow, I'd completely forgotten about this fic... A longer update, to make up for the time and the last two, really short additions._

Anything you recognize I don't own!

* * *

"Who do you think about?"

Peter frowned, rolling over to stretch out on his back. "Who?"

"Yes, who." Peter could hear the smile in Adam's voice, and he wondered for the umpteenth time what Adam looked like. "Who do you think about during these disastrously long, quiet spells - oh, you know, when you aren't romping about with Elle."

Peter sat up, swinging his feet over the side, eyes narrowed warily, tired body nevertheless ready to fight. Suddenly, anger surged through him - it wasn't enough that Adam relentlessly teased him about Elle, but to bring Claire into it? Was he really on the opposite side looking for Claire?

He stopped this train of thought just in time to realize how idiotic (and embarrassing) it was. It was an innocent enough question, and why would Adam be after any of his friends, muchless Claire; and perhaps more importantly, why did he automatically assume Adam was talking about Claire? He didn't even know Claire!

Adam seemed to pick up on Peter's agitation from his silence, and his voice immediately took on a soothing tone.

"Hey, I'm in the same boat as you are, kid! I'm not gonna hunt her down."

And this time, Peter was surprised. "Her? Who said it was a her?"

"Didn't have to say it," Adam said softly. and Peter could tell he'd scooted closer to the crack and was now speaking through it, voice conspiratorily low. "Just because I'm three-hundred some-odd years old does not diminish the fact that I am male and you are, too. Not to mention you just make it so obvious. I'm a man, and I couldn't have gotten through five minutes of this if I didn't have anyone to think about."

Peter kept his mouth shut. Adam had him cornered, but he didn't have to tell him anything - and the best way to do that was to simply keep his mouth shut altogether.

"She was Japanese," Adam said abruptly, and it took Peter a moment to figure out what he was talking about. "And she was strong and brave and stubborn as hell." And Peter thought of Claire and smiled. "But she never loved me," Adam added softly, even as Peter's heart dropped to his toes, afraid the similarities between Adam's 'who' and his wouldn't end at 'stubborn as hell'. "For a little while she thought she did, but she didn't."

Peter frowned. "Where is she now?" And if he said Odessa, Texas, he was relatively sure he was going to die.

"Dead. Somewhere in Japan. She died about three hundred years ago."

Peter gaped, still trying to wrap his mind around his friend's age.

_---Cayenne_


	5. Chapter 5

_AN - - - I know, I know, it's been too long. A monster update to make up for it._

* * *

He grimaced, pulling off his shirt and running one hand over the inflamed criss-crossing network of welts. Tonight's session with Elle had lasted the longest so far, and had certainly been one of the worst. He heard Adam chuckle wryly as he touched a particularly tender spot and moaned softly.

"You made some pretty interesting noises, I'll have you know."

Peter rolled his eyes, praying that he was just bluffing.

_--Cayenne_

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

_AN - - - This is probably the most risque thing I've done, but in an abstract way._

* * *

"Hello, Peter."

Peter glanced up silently, eyeing Elle warily. One delicate hand rested lightly on the hip of yet another show-stopping outfit, other arm resting on the doorjamb she was draped across. A mischievous smile was draped just as lazily as she was across her face as she took a slow step towards him that practically _oozed _Jessica Rabbit. Peter sat up straight, running a hand through his sheared-off hair. Elle arched an eyebrow and slinked across the room to sit on his bed beside him.

"You busy?"

Peter blinked, eyes wary.

"Didn't think so," Elle grinned, even as she was flicking back her hair and rolling up her sleeves.

"So, where are we thinking of today?"

Peter shuddered, shifting almost sub-consciously away from her, tensing his muscles, bracing himself for what he knew was coming.

"Up high?" Elle said softly, hand drifting upwards to caress his face, but even before she had suggested it, her hand was shifting towards his neck and collar bones. "Or down lower?" Elle murmured, voice suddenly husky as her hand inched lower down his chest, dancing across his stoamch. He stiffened and scooted back, something muffled drifting from his mouth even though he'd vowed long ago to keep quiet when she came - his struggle seemed to please her.

"Pardon, Peter? Didn't catch that," even as her hand danced around the spot of choice.

Peter clenched his jaw, glaring steadily in the other direction. And so he _prayed _that his mind would drift but it simply wouldn't, and so his eyes were wide open and it was _Elle's _hand that was inching downwards and certainly it was no one else.

And he simply couldn't forget when she finally grabbed hold and he felt the shock.

_--Cayenne_

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

"She's blonde," Peter said softly, eyes closed as he tried to block out the pain of the last night with Elle, trying to see Claire on the inside of his eyelids.

Adam laughed softly, and there was a clunk as Adam sat heavily down on his bed.

"Yes, she is. What an acute observation. And how long have you and Elle been playing together?"

Peter wished Adam could see the horrified look on his face. "No, not Elle. My…"

"Your Yaeko?"

Peter frowned. "Yaeko?"

"Mine."

"Oh, yeah. Well, I guess. My Yaeko; she's blonde, too."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. And her eyes are blue."

"Makes you think of Elle, then?"

Peter barely reined in his fury in time, measuredly walking towards the crack. "No. Elle reminds me of her."

Adam laughed, leaning against the wall by the crack, too. "Fine, then. So where is she now?"

"Alive," Peter said indignantly, then laughed at himself. "She can do what you can, so of course she's alive."

"Really?" Adamn barely restrained his surprise - he had clearly thought he was the only one.

"Really." There was silence for a moment as Peter struggled to make his brain come to terms with what he was about to say, and Adam patiently, trustingly waited.

"Only one problem," Peter started hoarsely.

"Yeah?" Adam cut him off. "Can't be much worse then falling in love with a girl, only be told she loves you too and she's going to be your 'princess' but - surprise! - she's actually fallen for someone else in my mask."

Peter arched an eyebrow but shook his head, slightly frustrated. "Yeah, it is worse. She's my long-lost, illegitimate, thought-she-was-dead, seventeen year old neice."

For a moment, there was silence; depressed on Peter's side, but more surprised as for Adam.

"Okay, okay," Adam finally responded, the laughter in his voice once again. "Fine, you win."

_--Cayenne_

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

_AN -- I really, really like the beginning of this one._

* * *

He tried to remind himself to never let Adam talk him into anything ever again; if they were lucky enough to have an ever again.

I've got an idea, he'd said. Don't worry, it'll be just a little bit dangerous, he'd said. And, of course, it was just a little bit dangerous - for Adam. For Peter, however, the danger was about ten-fold.

And, besides, Adam had pointed out. Your Yaeko is blonde and blue eyed - so is Elle. Shouldn't be a problem for you to snog her senseless.

And Peter had tried, dammit. He'd let her shock him, and then he'd close his eyes and he'd kissed her and he could almost barely believe that it wasn't Elle, it was Claire and he kissed her like he'd wanted to kiss her forever.

And then the shock came. He jumped away, eyes wide, thoroughly surprised - Claire couldn't do that and he was kissing Claire, after all - but slowly, his mind caught up with reality, and he was forced to kiss her again, knowing it was Elle. Thoroughly Elle.

_--Cayenne_

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

Bob had called the food 'astronaut food' and said that it wasn't the best. Elle called it space food and insisted it was 'yummy'. Peter had refrained from telling her this was probably because she hadn't tasted much else and Adam simply mentioned in passing that it was crap and spent endless hours talking about Oriental food and how much he missed it.

And Peter? Peter had always beeen an easy eater- set it in front of him, tell him it was food and it wasn't toxic and he'd eat it. And so he didn't mind the space food, but he did spend a lot of time wisting away after his mother's waffles, drowning in syrup and peanut butter.

_--Cayenne_

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

_AN - - - I'm afraid this one is too subtle... Just so you know, the curls remind him of Claire._

* * *

One day, Elle came to visit him with her hair curled. Big, bouncy curls, laying about on her chest and hanging down her back. She stood in the doorway and she smiled and Peter was sure he was having a heart attack.

Those twenty minutes passed in a blur and Peter stared wide-eyed at the door for hours after she left. Adam knew better then to ask.

_--Cayenne_

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

_AN - - - I was never sure what I thought of this one, but upon re-reading it now, I rather like it. Inspired partially by "Roadside Prophet" by Jason Mraz (which, for the record, I also don't own)._

* * *

Peter finds that he dreams every night, more than he used to, but he always was a dreamer (literally and otherwise). The odd part was that he always used to dream main points - the edges were blurred and what was going on in the dream was more important than where he was or the people around him, not to mention that it was always black and white.

But now - Peter assumed it was the medication, but maybe it was just everything that had happened lately catching up with him, throwing everything into such sharp focus.

Now his dreams were in Technicolor, the street signs a little to yellow, the sky a little too blue.

And the people around him matter more than ever; Nathan, pre and post _him, _Claire, his mother, Sylar, everyone he had seen in the last few months, ever since he'd begun to think he could fly was there and all the people with powers like him that he knew always took starring roles.

And now, the dreams - what happened was never important. He was eating in a café with Nathan and Claire, he was running anyway from Sylar with Claude in New York, he was back in Kirby Plaza with everyone he had seen there, but this time they were all having a picnic, a handsome little Mulatto boy and a pretty brunette girl splashing in the rain that was falling only where they played around the big, red, stair steps. And more often then not, he prayed he would never wake up.

_--Cayenne_

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

The pills seem to get bigger the longer he takes him. At first they were tiny - inconveniently tiny. Easy to lose, but so desperately important; they would fix him, they would save him and his family and .o7 Earth's population and maybe even more then that. But as he took them and took them and he had no more powers but the time inevitably passed, they slowly got bigger.

And Adam has now informed him that they had been this close to the cure for thirty years and the pills are the size of fists.

_--Cayenne_

* * *


	13. Chapter 13

His hair was actually one of the biggest reasons why he hated Elle, odd as that may sound. Sadism, the advances, everything aside, he truly hated her for cutting his hair (and himself for allowing it).

Yet another thing this horrible place had strippped away from him, yet another way he was being changed. Sometimes Elle would bring him a glass cup for his pills or his water and he would peer into his reflection and wonder if anyone would recognize him if he got out, especially if they kept changing him in such tiny ways. And sometimes he would even wonder if hewould recognize himself.

_--Cayenne_

* * *


	14. Chapter 14

"How's Nathan?"

Elle looked up, removing her hand from his chest and pushing a bit of hair away from her face. "Nathan?" she repeated blankly.

"My _brother," _Peter growled, voice suddenly growing hoarse.

"Oh, you're brother," Elle giggled. "Well, he's coming along."

Peter frowned, knowing that that was the best answer he was going to get. "And the cure?"

Elle laughed this time, hand shifting back to his chest, and smirking at the twisted look on his face. "Oh, it's coming along, too."

_--Cayenne_

* * *


	15. Chapter 15

The walls at The Facility were as thin as paper. Part of the reason Peter still clung to a bit of his sanity (because without the walls, he wouldn't have Adam to talk to), but part of the reason he had to fight to keep his sanity in the first place.

Bob and Elle were constantly arguing. Elle tended to talk non-stop to the Haitian, so much so about so many different, intimately personal things that Peter imagined that she must have assumed that being mute meant he didn't understand anything, either.

But the worst part was the catching snitches of conversations and him and his family. Listening to (mostly Elle) talking about him and his ass and what Claire was doing (and lots of bitching about her, once Elle figured out how much he cared for her) and how Nathan was.

Occasionally, at the beginning, hearing about them was a miracle, a Godsend, especially right after Adam told him the truth.

But when the father and daughter team started talking about new, inventive ways to kill him for good, the panic set in.

_--Cayenne_

* * *


	16. Chapter 16

Time tended to lose it's significance when the only way to mark it is lack of visits and the shutting off of the lights. The days blurred. He thought about marking the days on the walls like in those movies Nathan had loved to watch so much as a child, but he knew it really didn't matter anymore. The only reason he could think of to even try to keep track was to more easily identify what stage of Claire's life he was missing, when it would finally be legal (if they weren't related, that is) for him to have her. But she was too unpredictable for that, anyway.

_--Cayenne_

* * *


End file.
